Virtualization and Cloud executives share their predictions for 2016. Read them in this 8th Annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
Contributed by Bill Platt, Chief Architect at BMC Software
2016: the Tipping Point for Cloud Adoption
Going into 2015, many predicted that the adoption of public cloud in the enterprise would slow due to concerns about data security. Instead, public cloud adoption has increased significantly as the public cloud has become more secure, reliable and easier for distributed workforces to use.
At the same time, private clouds have become cheaper and easier for IT to manage, but those advantages have not proven to be enough to replace the convenience of using the public cloud as security concerns become less of an issue.
As a result, many enterprises have been experimenting in hybrid cloud strategies that leverage the best features of both private and public clouds.
Our prediction for 2016 is that clouds will reach a tipping point where enterprises move from dabbling in public or private cloud solutions to broad adoption of hybrid cloud strategies that drive new revenue streams and open up new markets.
As cloud environments grow, compliance becomes a more important focus point in 2016. It’s now commonly known that most cyber-attacks target known vulnerabilities for which a fix already exists but simply hasn’t been properly applied. Knowing where those vulnerabilities exist in your environment and remediating them can significantly improve resiliency.
The key to getting people to follow IT processes consistently is to make following the processes easier than going around them. This comes from automation. When users can access the cloud resources they need in a fast and cost effective way while complying with internal requirements, they comply.
Analytics will play a bigger role in enterprise cloud management strategies in 2016. IT can use these platforms to help cloud users make better decisions to improve application performance, determine when to scale up cloud resources or shift application workloads from public to private clouds. Analytics can also can help businesses detect buyer trends that can impact supply chain operations or lead to new revenue streams.
Finally, consolidation will inevitably increase. Over 50 vendors can currently claim to offer a cloud management platform. Acquisitions, mergers and competition will condense the field of viable players and create more opportunity to focus on innovation.
2016 looks to be an exciting year for the cloud!
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About the Author
Bill Platt is senior vice president and chief architect for BMC Software. Platt is responsible for innovating and developing technologies that evolve with the ever-changing digital enterprise.
Prior to joining BMC, Platt was general manager for Amazon Web Services with an impressive 25-year career in IT, including working in the software and cloud industries, the PaaS industry, desktop virtualization, distributed computing, internet and ecommerce, enterprise software, services and support.
